Systems, methods, and computer program products for processing a package for shipping with a common carrier on a wireless computing device

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments of present invention provide systems, methods, and computer-program products containing executable code for processing a package for shipping with a common carrier. Various embodiments include a wireless computing device that may be one of several types of devices such as smartphones, mobile telephones, mobile computers, portable digital assistants, laptop computers, gaming devices, electronic tablets, or other types of similar devices. In particular embodiments, executable code is installed on the wireless computing device that, when executed, causes the device to perform certain functionality. For instance, in particular embodiments, the wireless computing device records an image of a shipping form being placed on a package, verifies the image is suitable for analysis and transmission, and extracts a tracking number from the image. Further, the wireless computing device transmits the image to a common carrier so that the carrier may process information extracted from the image to facilitate shipping the package.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/274,461, filed Oct. 17, 2011, which is hereby incorporated herein inits entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A smartphone is a device that can take care of a user's handheldcomputing and communication needs in a single, small package. Today, theuse of smartphones is becoming increasingly more popular with manyindividuals. For instance, total shipments in 2010 of smartphone deviceswere 302.6 million units, up 74.4 percent from 2009. Unlike traditionalcell phones, smartphones allow individuals to install, configure, andrun applications of their choosing. Similar devices that are becomingincreasingly popular are digital tablets. Today's tablet users represent12 percent of the United States internet population between ages eightand sixty-four. This number is projected to grow to 23 percent by early2012, a group representing an estimated 54 million people.

Many applications are made available for such devices that users maydownload and install on their devices. These applications may perform avariety of functions that may aid individuals in their personal andbusiness lives. For example, applications may be made available forproviding information on local weather, conducting personal bankingtransactions, as well as work-related tasks such as accessing, sending,and drafting work-related emails and documents and/or keeping trackingof business related expenses.

Many individuals ship packages for both personal and business reasons.Typically, an individual must fill out one or more forms and/or shippinglabels for the package and provide the package to a common carrier forshipment. The common carrier will then take the package and enter theinformation from the forms and/or shipping labels in the carrier'ssystems and provide a tracking number to the individual so that theindividual may track the package while shipping with the common carrier.For instance, consider the following scenario in which an individualwishing to ship a package arrives at a common carrier's “drop box”collection point and obtains a Paper Shipping Manifest (PSM) form fromthe box. After writing the required information on the form, theindividual affixes the form to the package, and places the package inthe “drop box.” Subsequent tracking of the package requires anindividual to key enter the form's tracking number in the commoncarrier's tracking application. In addition, if the individual wouldlike to receive notification of certain events that occur duringshipping, such as a shipment delay or delivery, the user must performadditional transactions with the common carrier's systems to requestnotification of these events. Further, if the individual needs theinformation for the shipment incorporated into another application suchas an expense account, the individual must typically enter suchinformation into the application manually. Therefore, a need exists inthe art for an application that can facilitate shipping functionalityfrom an individual's wireless computing device.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Various embodiments of present invention provide systems, methods, andcomputer-program products containing executable code for processing apackage for shipping with a common carrier. In various embodiments, thesystems include a wireless computing device. The wireless computingdevice may be one of several types of devices such as smartphonedevices, mobile telephones, mobile computers, portable digitalassistants (PDAs), laptop computers, gaming devices, electronic tablets,or other types of similar electronic devices. In addition, in variousembodiments, the wireless computing device may include imagingcapabilities.

In particular embodiments, executable code is provided that can beinstalled on a wireless computing device so that the code may beexecuted by at least one processor of the wireless computing device tocause the wireless computing device to perform certain functionality.For instance, in various embodiments, the executable code may bedownloaded from a remote location onto the device and installed or maybe provided on some type of non-transitory medium.

In various embodiments, the wireless computing device may be configuredto record an image of a shipping form for use with the package. Inparticular embodiments, the wireless computing device may verify theimage is suitable for analysis and transmission and extract a trackingnumber from the image. Further, in particular embodiments, the wirelesscomputing device may transmit the image and the tracking number to acommon carrier so that the common carrier can process informationextracted from the image and the tracking number in one or more systemsof the common carrier to facilitate shipping the package with the commoncarrier.

In particular embodiments, the verification of the image involves thewireless computing device performing one or more of: (1) determining theentire shipping form has been captured in the image; (2) determining theextracted tracking number is a valid tracking number; (3) determiningthe quality of the image is acceptable; and (4) verifying completenessof information provided on the shipping form. Further, in particularembodiments, the common carrier may extract information from the imageand link the image, the tracking number, or the extracted information tocarrier information obtained by the common carrier during shipping ofthe package.

In particular embodiments, the transmission to the common carrier mayalso include an identifier for an individual shipping the package sothat the common carrier can identify: (1) the individual from theidentifier and/or (2) an account the individual has with the commoncarrier. In one particular embodiment, the common carrier can charge afee to the account for the individual for shipping the package.

In addition, in particular embodiments, the wireless computing devicemay be configured to perform additional functionality. For instance, inparticular embodiments, the wireless computing device may be furtherconfigured to receive one or more notification requests from a user ofthe wireless computing device. In these particular embodiments, eachnotification request comprises a request to send a status notificationto one or more individuals when a particular event occurs with respectto the package during shipping with the common carrier. Thus, in theseparticular embodiments, the wireless computing device may transmit theone or more notification requests to the common carrier so that thecommon carrier can perform sending a status notification in response toeach notification request after the particular event associated with thenotification request is shown to have occurred in carrier informationobtained by the common carrier during shipping of the package.

Further, in particular embodiments, the wireless computing device may beconfigured to receive a unique shipping reference for the packageentered by the user of the wireless computing device. In theseparticular embodiments, the wireless computing device transmits theunique shipping reference to the common carrier so that the commoncarrier can use the unique shipping reference as a mechanism forindividuals to identify the package for the common carrier. In addition,in particular embodiments, the wireless computing device comprisesmemory and is further configured to store the image, the trackingnumber, and related information (such as, for example, informationextracted from the image, configuration information, notificationrequests, etc.) on the wireless computing device so that at least one ofthe image, the tracking number, and the related information can beretrieved from the memory and displayed on the wireless computingdevice. While in other embodiments, the wireless computing device isfurther configured to capture the location of the device and store thelocation in the memory along with the image and the tracking number.

In particular embodiments, the wireless computing device may also beconfigured to receive carrier information from the common carrier. Inthese particular embodiments, the carrier information may includecurrent tracking information on one or more particular events that haveoccurred during shipping of the package. In addition, the carrierinformation may include a fee charged by the common carrier for shippingthe package. Further, in particular embodiments, the wireless computingdevice may store the carrier information in memory on the device so thatthe carrier information can be retrieved from the memory and displayedon the wireless computing device. Finally, in particular embodiments,the wireless computing device may also be configured to retrieveinformation on the package comprising one or more of the image, theinformation extracted from the image, the tracking number, or thecarrier information and transfer the retrieved information to one ormore files or another application residing on the wireless computingdevice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn toscale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 provides an illustration of one embodiment of an architecturethat can be used to practice various aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 2 provides a schematic diagram of a wireless computing deviceaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 provides a schematic diagram of a server residing in a commoncarrier's systems according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 provides a flowchart for providing package information for apackage being shipped with a common carrier according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 5 provides a flowchart for processing information received for apackage being shipped with a common carrier according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 6 provides a flow diagram of functionality performed by a PSMapplication according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 provides a second flow diagram of functionality performed by thePSM application according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 provides a third flow diagram of functionality performed by thePSM application according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 provides a flow diagram of functionality performed by a dataprocessing application according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 provides a second flow diagram of functionality performed by thedata processing application according to one embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Various embodiments of the present invention now will be described morefully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichsome, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, theseinventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicablelegal requirements. The term “or” is used herein in both the alternativeand conjunctive sense, unless otherwise indicated. Like numbers refer tolike elements throughout.

I. Methods, Apparatus, Systems, and Computer Program Products

As should be appreciated, the embodiments may be implemented in variousways, including as methods, apparatus, systems, or computer programproducts. Accordingly, the embodiments may take the form of an entirelyhardware embodiment or an embodiment in which a processor is programmedto perform certain steps. Furthermore, the various implementations maytake the form of a computer program product on a computer-readablestorage medium having computer-readable program instructions embodied inthe storage medium. Any suitable computer-readable storage medium may beutilized including hard disks, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, ormagnetic storage devices.

Particular embodiments are described below with reference to blockdiagrams and flowchart illustrations of methods, apparatus, systems, andcomputer program products. It should be understood that each block ofthe block diagrams and flowchart illustrations, respectively, may beimplemented in part by computer program instructions, e.g., as logicalsteps or operations executing on a processor in a computing system.These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer, suchas a special purpose computer or other programmable data processingapparatus to produce a specifically-configured machine, such that theinstructions which execute on the computer or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus implement the functions specified in the flowchartblock or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including computer-readableinstructions for implementing the functionality specified in theflowchart block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also beloaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatusto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computeror other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implementedprocess such that the instructions that execute on the computer or otherprogrammable apparatus provide operations for implementing the functionsspecified in the flowchart block or blocks.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrationssupport various combinations for performing the specified functions,combinations of operations for performing the specified functions andprogram instructions for performing the specified functions. It shouldalso be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchartillustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams andflowchart illustrations, can be implemented by special purposehardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions oroperations, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions.

II. Exemplary System Architecture

FIG. 1 provides an illustration of a system architecture that can beused in conjunction with various embodiments of the present invention.As shown in FIG. 1, the system architecture may include one or morewireless computing devices 101. For instance, the wireless computingdevices 101 may be smartphone devices, mobile telephones, mobilecomputers, portable digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, gamingdevices, electronic tablets, and other types of similar electronicdevices. In addition, in various embodiments, the wireless computingdevices 101 may include digital imaging capabilities.

Further, in various embodiments, the one or more wireless computingdevices 101 are in communication with one or more additional systems.For instance, in particular embodiments, one or more of the wirelesscomputing devices 101 are in cellular communication with one or morecellular service providers 102. As discussed in greater detail below,these wireless computing devices 101 may transmit and receive data overcellular communication channels to help facilitate tracking shippedpackages and requesting and receiving status notifications for theseshipped packages. In addition, these cellular service providers 102 maybe in electronic communication with one or more carrier systems 105associated with a common carrier shipping the packages to facilitate thetransfer of information between the wireless computing devices 101 andthe common carrier used for shipping the packages. Such communicationmay be facilitated over the same or different wireless or wired networksincluding, for example, a wired or wireless Personal Area Network (PAN),Local Area Network (LAN), Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), Wide AreaNetwork (WAN), or the like. In addition, in particular embodiments, oneor more of the wireless computing devices 101 may be in communication(directly or indirectly) with the carrier systems 105 over a wirelessnetwork.

In various embodiments, the one or more carrier systems 105 may includesub-systems and/or components such as servers and storage media. Forinstance, in FIG. 1, the carrier systems 105 include one or moretracking systems 106 for tracking packages as the packages are shippedwith the common carrier, one or more notification systems 107 forsetting up shipping notifications, and one or more security systems 108for facilitating security functionality. In addition, in particularembodiments, the carrier systems 105 include one or more servers 104. Inparticular instances, these one or more servers 104 may be incommunication with one or more types of storage media 107. In addition,the one or more servers 104 may include a database management system andthe storage media 107 may include one or more databases and one or moredatabase instances. In various embodiments, the storage media 107 may beone or more types of media such as hard disks, magnetic tapes, opticalmedia, or flash memory. The term “database” refers to a structuredcollection of records or data that is stored in a computer system, suchas via a relational database, hierarchical database, or networkdatabase.

It should be noted that other system architectures are contemplated thatmay be used to practice various aspects of the invention. Thus, thesystem architecture provided in FIG. 1 is for illustrative purposes onlyand should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention.Further, while FIG. 1 illustrates certain system entities as separate,standalone entities, the various embodiments are not limited to thisparticular architecture.

a. Exemplary Wireless Computing Device

FIG. 2 provides a schematic diagram of a wireless computing device 101according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this particularinstance, the wireless computing device 101 is a smartphone. However, itshould be understood that the wireless computing device 101 illustratedand hereinafter described is merely illustrative of one type of devicethat may implement and/or benefit from various embodiments and,therefore, should not be taken to limit the scope of the invention.Thus, it should be noted that other types of electronic devices, such asmobile telephones, mobile computers, portable digital assistants (PDAs),laptop computers, gaming devices, electronic tablets, and other types ofsimilar electronic devices, may employ various embodiments of theinvention.

As shown, the wireless computing device 101 may include an antenna 212(or multiple antennas 212) in communication with a transmitter 214 and areceiver 216. The wireless computing device 101 may also include aprocessor 220 (e.g., application processor and/or graphics processor)configured to provide signals to and receive signals from thetransmitter 214 and receiver 216, respectively.

The processor 220 may, for example, be embodied as variousconfigurations including circuitry, one or more microprocessors withaccompanying digital signal processor(s), one or more processor(s)without an accompanying digital signal processor, one or morecoprocessors, one or more multi-core processors, one or morecontrollers, processing circuitry, one or more computers, various otherprocessing elements including integrated circuits such as, for example,an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) or FPGA (fieldprogrammable gate array), or some combination thereof. Accordingly,although illustrated in FIG. 2 as a single processor, in someembodiments the processor 220 comprises a plurality of processors.

The signals sent and received by the processor 220 may include signalinginformation in accordance with an air interface standard of anapplicable cellular system, and/or any number of different wirelessnetworking techniques, comprising but not limited to Wi-Fi, wirelesslocal access network (WLAN) techniques such as Bluetooth™ (BT),Ultra-wideband (UWB), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE) 802.11, 802.16, and/or the like. In addition, these signals mayinclude speech data, user generated data, user requested data, and/orthe like.

In this regard, the wireless computing device 101 may be capable ofoperating with one or more air interface standards, communicationprotocols, modulation types, access types, and/or the like. Moreparticularly, the wireless computing device 101 may be capable ofoperating in accordance with various first generation (1G), secondgeneration (2G), 2.5G, third-generation (3G) communication protocols,fourth-generation (4G) communication protocols, Internet ProtocolMultimedia Subsystem (IMS) communication protocols (for example, sessioninitiation protocol (SIP)), and/or the like. For example, the wirelesscomputing device 101 may be capable of operating in accordance with 2Gwireless communication protocols IS-136 (Time Division Multiple Access(TDMA)), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), IS-95 (CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA)), and/or the like. Also, for example,the wireless computing device 101 may be capable of operating inaccordance with 2.5G wireless communication protocols General PacketRadio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), and/or thelike. Further, for example, the wireless computing device 101 may becapable of operating in accordance with 3G wireless communicationprotocols such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS),Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000), Wideband Code DivisionMultiple Access (WCDMA), Time Division-Synchronous Code DivisionMultiple Access (TD-SCDMA), and/or the like. The wireless computingdevice 101 may be additionally capable of operating in accordance with3.9G wireless communication protocols such as Long Term Evolution (LTE)or Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) and/orthe like. Additionally, for example, the wireless computing device 101may be capable of operating in accordance with fourth-generation (4G)wireless communication protocols such as LTE Advanced and/or the like aswell as similar wireless communication protocols that may be developedin the future.

Some Narrow-band Advanced Mobile Phone System (NAMPS), as well as TotalAccess Communication System (TACS), wireless computing devices 101 mayalso benefit from embodiments of this invention, as should dual orhigher mode phones (for example, digital/analog or TDMA/CDMA/analogphones). Additionally, the wireless computing device 101 may be capableof operating according to Wi-Fi or Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMAX) protocols.

It is understood that the processor 220 may comprise circuitry forimplementing audio/video and logic functions of the wireless computingdevice 101. For example, the processor 220 may comprise a digital signalprocessor device, a microprocessor device, an analog-to-digitalconverter, a digital-to-analog converter, and/or the like. Control andsignal processing functions of the wireless computing device 101 may beallocated between these devices according to their respectivecapabilities. Additionally, the processor 220 may comprise an internalvoice coder (VC) 220 a, an internal data modem (DM) 220 b, and/or thelike. Further, the processor 220 may comprise functionality to operateone or more software programs, which may be stored in memory. Forexample, the processor 220 may be capable of operating a connectivityprogram, such as a web browser. The connectivity program may allow thewireless computing device 101 to transmit and receive web content, suchas location-based content, according to a protocol, such as WirelessApplication Protocol (WAP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), and/orthe like. The wireless computing device 101 may be capable of using aTransmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to transmit andreceive web content across the internet or other networks.

The wireless computing device 101 may also comprise a user interfaceincluding, for example, an earphone or speaker 224, a ringer 222, amicrophone 226, a display 228, a user input interface, and/or the like,which may be operationally coupled to the processor 220. In this regard,the processor 220 may comprise user interface circuitry configured tocontrol at least some functions of one or more elements of the userinterface, such as, for example, the speaker 224, the ringer 222, themicrophone 226, the display 228, and/or the like. The processor 220and/or user interface circuitry comprising the processor 220 may beconfigured to control one or more functions of one or more elements ofthe user interface through computer program instructions (for example,software and/or firmware) stored on memory accessible to the processor220 (for example, volatile memory 240, non-volatile memory 242, and/orthe like). Although not shown, the wireless computing device 101 maycomprise a battery for powering various circuits related to the wirelesscomputing device 101, for example, a circuit to provide mechanicalvibration as a detectable output. The user input interface may comprisedevices allowing the wireless computing device 101 to receive data, suchas a keypad 230, a touch display (not shown), a joystick (not shown),and/or other input device. In embodiments including a keypad, the keypadmay comprise numeric (0-9) and related keys (#, *), and/or other keysfor operating the wireless computing device 101.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless computing device 101 may also includeone or more components for sharing and/or obtaining data. For example,the wireless computing device 101 may comprise a short-range radiofrequency (RF) transceiver and/or interrogator 264 so data may be sharedwith and/or obtained from electronic devices in accordance with RFtechniques. The wireless computing device 101 may comprise othershort-range transceivers, such as, for example, an infrared (IR)transceiver 266, a Bluetooth™ (BT) transceiver 268 operating usingBluetooth™ brand wireless technology developed by the Bluetooth™ SpecialInterest Group, a wireless universal serial bus (USB) transceiver 270and/or the like. The Bluetooth™ transceiver 268 may be capable ofoperating according to low power or ultra-low power Bluetooth™technology (for example, Wibree™) radio standards. In this regard, thewireless computing device 101 and, in particular, the short-rangetransceiver may be capable of transmitting data to and/or receiving datafrom electronic devices within a proximity of the wireless computingdevice 101, such as within 10 meters, for example. Although not shown,the wireless computing device 101 may be capable of transmitting and/orreceiving data from electronic devices according to various wirelessnetworking techniques, including 6LoWpan, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi low power, WLANtechniques such as IEEE 802.11 techniques, IEEE 802.15 techniques, IEEE802.16 techniques, and/or the like.

The wireless computing device 101 may comprise memory, such as asubscriber identity module (SIM) 238, a removable user identity module(R-UIM), and/or the like, which may store information elements relatedto a mobile subscriber. In addition to the SIM, the wireless computingdevice 101 may comprise other removable and/or fixed memory. Thewireless computing device 101 may include volatile memory 240 and/ornon-volatile memory 242. For example, volatile memory 240 may includeRandom Access Memory (RAM) including dynamic and/or static RAM, on-chipor off-chip cache memory, and/or the like. Non-volatile memory 242,which may be embedded and/or removable, may include, for example,read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic storage devices (for example,hard disks, floppy disk drives, magnetic tape, etc.), optical discdrives and/or media, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), and/orthe like. Like volatile memory 240, non-volatile memory 242 may includea cache area for temporary storage of data. The memories may store oneor more applications (e.g., software programs), instructions, pieces ofinformation, data, and/or the like which may be used by the wirelesscomputing device 101 for performing functions of the wireless computingdevice 101. For instance, as described in greater detail below, one ormore of the memories on the device 101 may store a Paper ShippingManifest (PSM) application in various embodiments that performs variousaspects of the claimed invention.

b. Exemplary Server

FIG. 3 provides a schematic of a server 104 residing in the commoncarrier's systems 105 according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. In general, the term “server” may refer to, for example, anycomputer, computing device, mobile phone, desktop, notebook or laptop,distributed system, server, blade, gateway, switch, processing device,or combination of processing devices adapted to perform the functionsdescribed herein. As will be understood from this figure, in oneembodiment, the server 104 may include a processor 60 that communicateswith other elements within the server 104 via a system interface or bus61. The processor 60 may be embodied in a number of different ways. Forexample, the processor 60 may be embodied as one or more processingelements, one or more microprocessors with accompanying digital signalprocessors, one or more processors without an accompanying digitalsignal processors, one or more coprocessors, one or more multi-coreprocessors, one or more controllers, and/or various other processingdevices including integrated circuits such as, for example, anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA), a hardware accelerator, and/or the like.

In an exemplary embodiment, the processor 60 may be configured toexecute instructions stored in the device memory or otherwise accessibleto the processor 60. As such, whether configured by hardware or softwaremethods, or by a combination thereof, the processor 60 may represent anentity capable of performing operations according to embodiments of thepresent invention when configured accordingly. A display device/inputdevice 64 for receiving and displaying data may also be included in orassociated with the server 104. The display device/input device 64 maybe, for example, a keyboard or pointing device that is used incombination with a monitor. The server 104 may further includetransitory and non-transitory memory, which may include both randomaccess memory (RAM) 67 and read only memory (ROM) 65. The server's ROM65 may be used to store a basic input/output system (BIOS) 26 containingthe basic routines that help to transfer information to the differentelements within the server 104.

In addition, in one embodiment, the server 104 may include at least onestorage device 63, such as a hard disk drive, a CD drive, a DVD drive,and/or an optical disk drive for storing information on variouscomputer-readable media. The storage device(s) 63 and its associatedcomputer-readable media may provide nonvolatile storage. Thecomputer-readable media described above could be replaced by any othertype of computer-readable media, such as embedded or removablemultimedia memory cards (MMCs), secure digital (SD) memory cards, MemorySticks, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM),flash memory, hard disk, and/or the like. Additionally, each of thesestorage devices 63 may be connected to the system bus 61 by anappropriate interface.

Furthermore, a number of program applications (e.g., modules) may bestored by the various storage devices 63 and/or within RAM 67. Suchprogram modules may include an operating system 80 and a data processingapplication 900. As discussed in greater detail below, this application900 may control certain aspects of the operation of the server 104 withthe assistance of the processor 60 and operating system 80, although itsfunctionality need not be modularized. In addition to the programapplications, the server 104 may store and/or be in communication withone or more storage media 107.

Also located within and/or associated with the server 104, in oneembodiment, is a network interface 74 for interfacing with variouscomputing entities. This communication may be via the same or differentwired or wireless networks (or a combination of wired and wirelessnetworks), as discussed above. For instance, the communication may beexecuted using a wired data transmission protocol, such as fiberdistributed data interface (FDDI), digital subscriber line (DSL),Ethernet, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), frame relay, data over cableservice interface specification (DOCSIS), and/or any other wiredtransmission protocol. Similarly, the server 104 may be configured tocommunicate via wireless external communication networks using any of avariety of protocols, such as 802.11, GPRS, UMTS, CDMA2000, WCDMA,TD-SCDMA, LTE, E-UTRAN, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, UWB, and/or any other wirelessprotocol.

It will be appreciated that one or more of the server's 104 componentsmay be located remotely from other server 104 components. Furthermore,one or more of the components may be combined and additional componentsperforming functions described herein may be included in the server 104.

III. General Overview of the Process

FIGS. 4 and 5 provide flowcharts for processing package information fora package being shipped with a common carrier. In particularembodiments, the individual shipping the package may first register withthe common carrier before engaging in this process. For instance, in oneembodiment, the individual visits a website for the common carrier overthe Internet and selects a button on the website to set up an accountwith the common carrier so that the individual may participate invarious aspects of the invention. Once the individual has selected thebutton on the website, the website may take the individual to one ormore webpages that request information from the individual such as, forexample, the individual's name, address, phone, and email information,which may simplify the shipping process for packages by providing thesedata items in addition to, or in lieu of, handwritten information on ashipping form and/or label. In addition, the individual may providebilling preferences that may simplify the shipping process, includingaccount number, account authentication information, credit card number,and credit card authentication information. In various embodiments, theindividual's population of these preferences can enable invoicing theindividual (e.g., customer) without the need to enter billinginformation on the shipping forms and/or labels, or in the event thehandwritten billing information on such forms or labels is illegible.Further, the individual may provide notification preferences thatsimplify the process of requesting carrier notifications, includingnotification types (e.g. delivery, etc.) and notification methods (e.g.email, SMS text, PSM application residing on the device, etc.) selectedby the individual as default requests. Thus, the individual may indicatehis or her preferences to receive status notifications for variouspackages shipped with the common carrier.

Once the individual has provided all of the required information and hasset up an account with the common carrier, the common carrier mayinstruct the individual to download an application (e.g., the PSMapplication) to the individual's wireless computing device 101. Aspreviously mentioned, the wireless computing device 101 may be any oneof a number of types of wireless computing devices. Thus, the individualmay visit the application store (e.g., website) for his or her cellularand/or smartphone provider using a web browser or other application onthe wireless computing device 101 and may download and install the PSMapplication on the individual's wireless computing device 101.

Thus, turning to FIG. 4, the individual wishes to ship a package andvisits a “drop box” collection point for the common carrier and obtainsa Paper Shipping Manifest (PSM) form from the box. In this particularexample, the PSM form is provided by the common carrier for use withvarious aspects of the invention. However, it should be understood bythose of ordinary skill in the art that other types of forms may be usedsuch as typical shipping labels placed on packages for shipping.

After writing the required information on the form and completing theform, the individual affixes the PSM form to the package, shown as Step401. In Step 402, the individual uses the camera on his or her wirelesscomputing device 101 to take a digital image of the PSM form and invokesthe PSM application. Once the application is active, the individualselects an option in the application for shipping a package. Inresponse, the PSM application requests the individual to select theimage taken of the PSM form and once selected, the PSM applicationanalyzes the image to verify the required information is obtainable fromthe image, shown as Step 403. For instance, in one particularembodiment, the PSM application analyzes the image to ensure: (1) theentire PSM form is captured in the image, (2) the common carriertracking number can be extracted from the PSM form via the image barcode and/or tracking number characters and the tracking number is valid,and (3) the image is of adequate quality and/or completeness of anyhandwritten information provided on the PSM form. In addition, inparticular instances, the PSM application extracts information from theimage. Further, in particular instances, the PSM application may conducthandwriting recognition and conversion to detailed shipment dataelements such as, for example, ship-to name and address and requestedshipping services.

In Step 404, if the PSM application determines the digital image is notsuitable for transmission to the common carrier, the PSM application mayrequest the individual to re-take the image of the PSM form, shown inStep 405. Thus, the individual re-takes the image and the PSMapplication verifies the re-taken image. At any point after capture of asuitable digital image, the individual may place the package into thecommon carrier's “drop box” collection point.

If the PSM application determines the digital image is suitable, the PSMapplication requests and captures a free-form shipment name from theindividual in particular embodiments (e.g., request the individual to“tag” the shipment), shown in Step 406. For example, the individual maybe shipping the package to a client that includes a purchase contractand the individual provides the shipment name of “client's purchasecontract.” Having such a name may help the individual to more quicklyrecognize the particular package from a listing of shipments theindividual has made with the common carrier. At this point, the PSMapplication may store the carrier tracking number, the digital image ofthe PSM form, information extracted from the digital image, and thefree-form shipment name in local memory 407 on the wireless computingdevice 101, shown as Step 408.

In particular embodiments, the individual is provided an opportunity torequest one or more notifications from the common carrier whensignificant transportation events occur during shipping, such as, forexample, a shipping delay or delivery. Thus, in these particularembodiments, the PSM application requests the individual to indicatewhether he or she would like to set up any notification requests andreceives the selection of such requests from the individual, shown asStep 409.

In Step 410, the PSM application transmits the carrier tracking number,the digital image of the PSM form, the individual's associated name forthe package, the individual's one or more notification requests for thepackage, and an identifier linked to the individual's registrationinformation to the common carrier's systems 105. As a result, the commoncarrier stores the received information and sets up the notificationrequests. At this point, the PSM application may inquire whether theindividual wishes to ship another package, shown as Step 411. If so, theprocess returns to the step in which the individual completes andattaches a new PSM form to the next package.

In particular embodiments, the PSM application may periodically querythe common carrier using the common carrier's APIs to determine whethershipment data is available in the carrier's systems 105 for the package.At that point, the PSM application may download and store the shipmentdetails for the package locally on the individual's device 101. Thesedetails may include such information as ship-to name and address,accessorials selected, scheduled delivery date, tracking information,and other carrier collected or derived information.

In addition, in particular embodiments, the PSM application isconfigured to allow the individual to review shipping and/or trackingdetails for various packages on the individual's wireless computingdevice 101. For instance, the individual may invoke the PSM applicationand select the option to view the shipping and/or tracking details for aparticular package the individual had previously shipped. In Step 412,the PSM application retrieves the shipping and tracking history storedlocally on the device 101 and displays a list of the packages retrievedfrom the history, shown as Step 413. In addition, in variousembodiments, the PSM application retrieves the latest trackinginformation for the packages (and, in some instances, information forany additional packages not found in the local history but were alsoshipped by the individual) from the common carrier and stores theretrieved information locally on the individual's device 101, shown asStep 414.

Once the PSM application has retrieved the information from the localmemory and from the common carrier's systems 105, the PSM applicationdisplays the information on the device 101 for the individual to view,shown as Step 415. For example, the PSM application provides a list ofthe packages by listing the individual's free-form shipment names. Theindividual selects a particular package from the list and the PSMapplication displays all of the details for the selected package. Atthis point, the individual may select another package to view or mayexit the option in the application, shown in Step 416. If the individualselects another package to view, the details for the next selectedpackage are displayed.

Further, in particular embodiments, the PSM application may beconfigured to transfer shipping history and details for packages toother applications residing on the device 101 and/or residing remotelyfrom the device 101. For instance, the individual may have shipped oneor more of the packages for business reasons. Returning to the exampleabove, the individual may have shipped a package that contained apurchase contract for a client. In this particular instance, theindividual may need to list the cost of shipping the package on anexpense report. Thus, the individual invokes the PSM application andselects the option to transfer the shipping history and details for thepackage to the individual's expense report application that also resideson the individual's wireless computing device 101. The PSM applicationdisplays a list of the packages that have history available locally onthe device 101 and the individual selects the particular package inwhich the contract was shipped. In response, the PSM applicationretrieves the shipping history and details for the selected package,shown as Step 417, and exports at least a portion of the shippinghistory and details to one or more files or directly to the expensereport application, shown as Step 418. For example, the PSM applicationmay transmit the package tracking number, the name of the commoncarrier, the ship-to address, and the cost of the shipment to a filecompatible with the expense report application.

In Step 419, the PSM application then determines whether the informationhas been successfully exported and if not, the application may indicatethe unsuccessful export to the individual and the reason for theunsuccessful export. For instance, a particular piece of the shippingdetails may not be in the proper format for the expense reportapplication to accept. The individual may then correction the problem(like eliminating the particular piece of information from the export)and retry the export. As a result, the shipping history and details forthe package may be imported into the individual's expense reportapplication and the individual may then include the expense for shippingthe package in an expense report without having to manually enter theinformation for the package.

Turning now to FIG. 5, the flowchart on this particular figure displaysthe functionality that may be carried out by the common carrier'ssystems 105 upon receiving the transmitted information for a packagefrom the PSM application residing on the individual's wireless computingdevice 101 and upon receiving and processing the package at thecarrier's facility. In Step 501, the common carrier's systems 105receive the transmitted data sent by the PSM application. Once thecommon carrier's systems 105 receive the transmitted data, the carrier'ssystems 105 route the one or more notification requests to one or morenotification systems 107, shown as Step 502. The notification systems107 set up the requests so that a notification is sent to the individualand/or other individuals, such as the recipient of the package, uponparticular events occurring during shipping of the package. Forinstance, the individual may have requested a notification be sent tohimself or herself and the recipient if the package is delayed for morethan twenty-four hours. Thus, the notification systems 107 interpret therequests and ensure the proper mechanisms are in place for the requests.

For example, the common carrier's tracking systems 106 may evaluate themovement of the package during shipment based on scans taken of thepackage's label as the package travels along with the common carrier. Inthis instance, if the systems 106 determine the package has not made amovement within a particular period of time, the systems 106 may sendthe individual and the recipient a notification indicating the packagehas been delayed. As previously mentioned, the notifications may be sentusing any number of different options such as emails, texts, and/ortelephone calls. Further, the systems 106 may review the individual'saccount set up with the common carrier to determine whether theindividual has indicated a preferred method for receiving notifications.

In Step 504, the carrier's systems 105 route the received information,such as the image of the PSM form and the tracking number to othersystems within the common carrier. For instance, in particularembodiments, the image is routed to one or more systems in order tocapture additional information from the image, shown as Step 505. Inthese particular embodiments, this step may involve forwarding the imageto an individual who reads the image and key enters additionalinformation from image. Other embodiments may also employ handwritingrecognition software and/or data correction software to extractadditional information from the image and/or to correct informationpreviously extracted from the image.

In addition, in particular embodiments, the tracking number and theshipment details captured from the image of the PSM form are routed toother carrier processes that consume such data, including operationssystems, fraud detection systems, and security evaluation systems, shownas Steps 506, 507, and 508. As a result, the information gathered fromthe PSM form is available for use within the common carrier's systems105.

Thus, the common carrier arrives at the “drop box” collection point,picks up the package, and later returns to the carrier's local operatingor “origin” center. At the “origin” center, employees unload the packageand scan the tracking number on PSM form affixed to the package, shownas Step 509. The carrier's systems 105 then match the tracking number totracking number received from the PSM application, shown as Step 510. AtStep 511, if a match is successful and the associated shipment data hasbeen captured from the digital image, the common carrier's systems 105process the package normally. However, if a match is unsuccessful or theassociated shipment data has not been captured from the digital image,then the carrier's operations personnel may need to initiate a datacapture process for the shipment. For instance, in one particularembodiment, the carrier's operations personnel may route the package ora sheet removed from the PSM form to a location where the shipment datacan be keyed in manually, or where the PSM form can be imaged for datacapture from the image, shown as Steps 512 and 513. Once the data hasbeen properly captured, the data may be routed to security andoperations, shown as Step 514. At this point, the common carrier'ssystems 105 may process the package normally.

IV. Exemplary System Operation

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 6-10. FIG. 6 provides a flow diagramof the PSM application in which the application processes a package forshipment according to a particular embodiment. FIG. 7 provides a flowdiagram of the PSM application in which the application receives arequest to view the package details for a particular package accordingto a particular embodiment. FIG. 8 provides a flow diagram of the PSMapplication in which the application receives a request to transfer thepackage details for one or more packages to another applicationaccording to a particular embodiment. FIG. 9 provides a flow diagram ofa data processing application residing in the common carrier's systems105 configured to process an image of a PSM form for a package receivedalong with corresponding information according to a particularembodiment. Finally, FIG. 10 provides a flow diagram of the dataprocessing application in which the application matches data scannedfrom the package once the package is received at the carrier'soperations with the data acquired from the transmitted image accordingto a particular embodiment. These two applications are described ingreater detail below.

a. PSM Application

As previously discussed, in various embodiments, the wireless computingdevice 101 may include a PSM application configured to perform variousfunctionality of the claimed invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a flowdiagram of the functionality of the PSM application for processing apackage for shipment according to various embodiments. This flow diagrammay correspond to the steps carried out by the processor 220 of thewireless computing device 101 shown in FIG. 2 as the processor 220executes the application according to various embodiments.

As previously mentioned, in various embodiments, an individual who plansto ship a package and to make use of this application residing on theindividual's wireless computing device 101 fills out a PSM form, affixesthe form to the package, and take an image of the form with the cameraon the individual's wireless computing device 101. The individual theninvokes the PSM application residing on the individual's device 101.

In Step 601, the PSM application receives the image of the PSM form. Forinstance, in various embodiments, upon invoking the PSM application, theindividual selects an option available in the application to ship apackage. An initial screen appears asking the individual to select anexisting image of the PSM form already available on the individual'swireless computing device 101 or to take an image of the PSM form on thepackage. In this particular instance, since the individual has alreadytaken an image of the PSM form, the individual selects the image fromhis available images already saved on the device 101.

In Step 602, the PSM application verifies the image is acceptable forits intended use. In various embodiments, the PSM application performsan analysis on the image to ensure the image is of proper quality toextract information from and to ensure the extracted information isvalid. For instance, in one particular embodiment, the PSM applicationanalyzes the image to ensure: (1) the entire PSM form is captured in theimage, (2) the carrier tracking number from the PSM form can beextracted from the image bar code and/or tracking number characters andthat the tracking number is valid, and (3) the image is of adequatequality and/or completeness of any handwritten information that may havebeen entered on the PSM form. In some instances, if adequate computingresources are available on the device 101, the PSM application mayperform advanced image analysis (e.g., optical character recognition) toconduct automated handwriting recognition and conversion to detailedshipment data elements such as ship-to name and address and selectedaccessorials, for example. Further, in some embodiments, the PSMapplication may send the image to the common carrier's systems 105 forverification in addition to or instead of performing the verificationitself. This may be the case in instances in which the device's 101computing resources are inadequate to effectively perform theverification of the image.

Thus, in Step 603, the PSM application determines whether the image isof adequate quality. If not, the PSM application may request theindividual to re-take the image of the PSM form on the package, shown asStep 604. Therefore, the individual takes a new image of the PSM formand the application receives the image and verifies whether the newimage is acceptable. If the image is acceptable, the PSM applicationextracts the tracking number from the image, shown as Step 605. Forinstance, in various embodiments, the PSM application may again employoptical character recognition to read the tracking number off of the PSMform in the image.

In addition, in particular embodiments, the PSM application may inquirewhether the individual would like to enter a freeform shipping referencefor the package. Such a reference may be useful for the individual whenrecalling details for the package. For example, the package may containa birthday present for the individual's niece. In this instance, theindividual may enter the freeform shipping reference “Sarah's b-daypresent.” As a result, the individual may use this reference in thefuture to more easily select and view the shipping details for thepackage instead of having to recall the carrier's tracking numberassigned to the package. Therefore, if the individual enters a shippingreference, the PSM application receives the shipping reference, shown asStep 606. In addition, in various embodiments, the PSM application maybe configured so that the individual enter additional information aboutthe package into the application (such as information that may not beable to be read from the image of the form). Thus, the PSM applicationmay also receive such information along with the shipping reference.

Further, in particular embodiments, the PSM application may beconfigured to allow the individual to identify one or more notificationsthe individual would like to have sent to the individual or others whenparticular events occur during shipping of the package. For example, theindividual may wish to have a notification sent to the individual andthe recipient of the package if the package is delayed during shipping.In certain embodiments, the PSM application may provide a list ofavailable notifications that the individual may select from in a displayand the individual may simply check the particular notifications ofinterest. In addition, the PSM application may request the individual toenter how the individual may wish to have the one or more notificationssent and to enter the necessary information to facilitate sending thenotifications. For example, the individual may wish to have a textmessage notification sent to himself or herself and the recipient of thepackage if the package is delayed for delivery. Thus, the individualselects the delayed-for-delivery notification option and selects to havethe notification sent via text message. In response, the PSM applicationmay request the individual to enter the phone number for the individualand/or recipient so that the message may be sent if need be. Thus, inStep 607, the PSM application receives one or more notification requestsif the individual has indicated that he or she would like to have suchrequests sent.

It should be noted that in some instances, the PSM application and/orcommon carrier's systems 105 may be able to obtain the information fornotifications from other sources. For example, the individual may haveregistered with the common carrier prior to using the PSM application.During registration, the individual may have indicated his or herpreference for receiving notifications. These preferences may includewhat types of notifications (e.g., delayed delivery notifications)and/or how the individual would like to receive the notifications (e.g.,via text message).

In Step 608, the PSM application stores the information for the packagelocally on the wireless computing device 101. For instance, in oneembodiment, the PSM application stores the carrier tracking number, thedigital image of the PSM form, any data extracted from the image viaimage analysis and/or provided by the individual, and the customerreference locally. In addition, in particular embodiments, the PSMapplication may also obtain the individual's geographical location andstore the location along with the information. For example, the PSMapplication may employ the GPS capabilities of the device 101 and/ortriangulation of communications data to obtain the individual'sgeographical location. In particular embodiments, such information maybe useful to the common carrier to help locate where the package wasdropped off and/or where the individual is located so that the carriermay pick up the package.

In Step 609, the PSM application transmits the information for thepackage to the common carrier's systems 105. In particular embodiments,the PSM application may make use of one or more communication channelssuch as cellular and/or wireless Internet to transmit the information tothe carrier's systems 105. Depending on the embodiment, the transmittedinformation may include the carrier tracking number, the digital imageof the PSM form and/or any data extracted from the image and/or providedby the individual, the individual's associated shipping reference forthe package, the individual's associated notification requests for thepackage, an identifier linked to the individual's registrationinformation, or combination thereof. As described in greater detailbelow, the common carrier processes the transmitted information withinthe common carrier's systems 105 for use by the common carrier. Forexample, the common carrier sets up the notification requests within itssystems 105 so that such notifications are sent as requested by theindividual during shipping of the package. At this point, the individualmay drop off the package for shipment. For example, the customer mayplace the package into the common carrier's “drop box” collection point.

Finally, in Step 610, the PSM application determines whether theindividual has another package to ship. If so, the PSM applicationreturns to the step of receiving an image of the PSM form and processesthe package as described above. If not, the PSM application exits theshipping option of the application.

In various embodiments, the PSM application provides additionalfunctionality with respect to packages the individual ships with thecommon carrier. For instance, in particular embodiments, the PSMapplication allows an individual to view package details for thepackages that may also include shipping details received from the commoncarrier as the packages are shipped with the common carrier. Thus,turning to FIG. 7, the individual may select an option in the PSMapplication to view details for a package and the PSM applicationreceives the request for this option, shown as Step 701. In Step 702,the PSM application retrieves a list of the packages shipped by theindividual. In particular embodiments, the PSM application performs thistask by querying the local memory of the device 101 to retrieve a listof the shipped packages that have details saved on the device 101. Inother embodiments, the PSM application may also query the commoncarrier's systems 105 to retrieve any packages shipped by the individualwhom details may not have necessarily been saved on the device 101.Thus, in Step 703, the PSM application displays the list of packages onthe individual's device 101.

The individual may then review the list of packages and may select oneor more of the packages to view the package details. For instance, inone embodiment, the PSM application may provide a list of the availablepackages by displaying the tracking number and the individual's freeformshipping reference (if available) for each package. The individual maythen scroll through the list and select the desired packages. Forexample, each package may have an associated check box that may bechecked if the individual desires to review the details for the package.Once the individual has selected the desired packages, the individualmay select a “submit” button on the display. Thus, in Step 704, the PSMapplication receives the selected packages. Therefore, returning to theexample above, the individual selects to view the package details for“Sarah's b-day present” and the PSM application receives the selectionof this package.

In response, the PSM application retrieves the detailed information forthe selected package, shown as Step 705. For instance, in particularembodiments, the PSM application queries the local memory on the device101 and retrieves the details saved on the device 101 for the package.In addition, in particular embodiments, the PSM application retrievesany current information from the common carrier. Thus, in theseparticular embodiments, the PSM application sends a request to thecommon carrier's systems 105 to return any current information obtainedby the common carrier's systems 105 on the package. For example, thecommon carrier's tracking systems 106 may indicate that the packagecontaining “Sarah's b-day present” was delivered that morning at 9:00a.m. Therefore, the common carrier's systems 105 return this trackinginformation to the PSM application so that the PSM application candisplay the latest tracking information to the individual. In addition,in particular embodiments, the PSM application saves the latest trackinginformation locally on the device 101, shown as Step 706. As a result,in Step 707, the PSM application displays the package details on theselected package to the individual on the individual's device 101. Theindividual may then scroll through the information and view that thepackage had been delivered that morning at 9:00 a.m.

Finally, in Step 708, the individual may select one or more additionalpackages for viewing. Is so, the PSM application displays the list ofavailable packages to the individual so that the individual may selectthe one or more additional packages for viewing. If not, the PSMapplication exits the view package details option of the application.

Further, in particular embodiments, the PSM application also providesfunctionality to transmit details for one or more packages to anotherapplication. For instance, the individual may have shipped a particularpackage for business purposes and needs to include the details for thepackage in an expense report so that the individual can be reimbursedfor the cost of shipping the package. Thus, turning to FIG. 8, theindividual selects the option in the PSM application to transmit thedetails for the package to another application and the PSM applicationreceives the request for this option, shown as Step 801. Depending onthe embodiment, the other application may be an application residing onthe individual's wireless computing device or may be an applicationresiding on a remote device such as the individual's laptop computer,for example.

Similar to the option for viewing package details, the PSM applicationretrieves a list of available packages for transmission, shown as Step802. Again, the PSM application may compile this list based on theinformation stored locally on the individual's device 101 and/or byquerying the common carrier's systems 105. Thus, the PSM applicationdisplays the package listing, shown as Step 803, and the individualselects one or more packages from the displayed list. In addition, thePSM application may also request the individual to identify the “target”application for the transmission. For instance, in one embodiment, thePSM application may provide a listing of compatible applications fromwhich the individual may select an application. While in anotherembodiment, the PSM application may simply transmit the information bycreating one or more files for the selected packages that may beimported into the desired application. For example, the individual'sexpense report application may be built on Microsoft's Excel® and thePSM application may export the details for the selected package to a CSVfile that may be imported into the expense report application. One ofordinary skill in the art can envision various ways to transmit thedetailed information for the package to another application in light ofthis disclosure.

Further, in particular embodiments, the PSM application may allow theindividual to select what particular details are to be included in thetransmitted information. For instance, in one embodiment, the PSMapplication may provide a listing of available information for eachpackage and the individual may identify the desired fields from thelist. Therefore, returning to the example for exporting the details ofthe package shipped for business purposes, the individual may select thepackage tracking number, the shipping reference, the drop off date forthe package, the recipient, the ship-to address, the date of delivery,and the shipping cost for the package to be exported to the individual'sexpense report application.

Thus, in Step 804, the PSM application receives the selection ofpackages and in some instances, the selection of the “target”application, and desired fields. In response, the PSM applicationretrieves the package details for the selected packages. Similar to theview-details option described above, in various embodiments, the PSMapplication may retrieve the details from the local memory of the device101 as well as from the common carrier's systems 105, shown as Step 805.Upon retrieving the details for the selected packages, the PSMapplication exports the details, shown as Step 806.

Therefore, returning to the example, the PSM application retrieves thedetails for the selected package and exports the information for theselected fields into a CSV file. Depending on the embodiment, the CSVfile may be created on the individual's local device and/or may becreated and transmitted to a remote device over a communication channelsuch as cellular or wireless Internet. At this point, the individual mayimport the CSV file into his or her expense report application. As aresult, the individual is not required to manually gather the neededinformation for the package and enter the information into the expensereport application. In particular embodiments, such functionality may bevery useful if the individual needs to export information for a largenumber of packages to another application.

Finally, returning to FIG. 8, the PSM application determines whether theexport was successful, shown as Step 807. If not, the PSM applicationmay display an error message to the individual, shown as Step 808. Inparticular embodiments, the error message may provide information as towhy the export was unsuccessful. For example, the error message mayindicate one or more pieces of information were unavailable, theinformation is in a format unacceptable by the other application, and/orthe communication channel was unavailable. In these instances, the PSMapplication may ask the individual if he or she would like to re-try theexport, shown as Step 809. If so, the PSM application returns to theexport step in the process.

b. Data Processing Application

In various embodiments, the common carrier's systems 105 may include oneor more servers 104 configured to perform various functionality of theclaimed invention. For instance, the carrier's systems 105 may include aserver 104 that includes a data processing application 900 forprocessing the data received from the PSM application as well as otherinformation received for the corresponding packages. FIG. 9 illustratesa flow diagram of the functionality of the data processing application900 for processing a transmission for a package received from anindividual's wireless computing device 101 according to variousembodiments. This flow diagram may correspond to the steps carried outby the processor 60 of the server 104 shown in FIG. 3 as the processor60 executes the application 900 according to various embodiments.

Starting with Step 901, the data processing application 900 receivesinformation transmitted from an individual's wireless computing device101 on a package being shipped. For instance, in various embodiments,the server 104 on which the application 900 resides may be incommunication with the Internet (either directly or indirectly) and theinformation is received over this communication channel. As previouslydiscussed, the information on the package may include differentcomponents according to different embodiments. For instance, inparticular embodiments, the information on the package may include thecarrier tracking number for the package, the digital image of the PSMform and/or any data extracted from the image, the individual'sassociated shipment reference for the package, the individual'sassociated notification request(s) for the package, the individual'sgeographical location, an identifier linked to the individual'sregistration information, or combination thereof

In Step 902, the data processing application 900 routes the notificationrequest(s) to the appropriate systems within the common carrier to beproperly processed so that the notification(s) may be sent whenappropriate. For instance, in particular embodiments, the common carrierincludes one or more notification systems 107 that receive the requestsand processes them accordingly. For example, one of the requestsreceived for a particular package may request a notification be sent tothe individual by email when the package is delivered. Therefore, inthis particular example, the notification systems 107 may implement atrigger in the common carrier's tracking systems 106 to send such anemail when the tracking systems 106 receive an indication of delivery ofthe package (e.g., a driver delivering the package receives a digitalsignature of the recipient on a handheld device used by the driver). Thetracking systems 106 may then retrieve a standard-form email fordelivery, information on the delivery from tracking records, andinformation on the individual (such as the individual's email address)from the individual's registration information and may configured theemail accordingly based on the delivery and individual's information.Once the email is completed, the tracking systems 106 may send the emailto provide the appropriate notification to the individual that thepackage has been delivered. In other embodiments, the notificationsystems 107 may facilitate other mechanisms so that the requestednotifications are sent when certain events occur during shipping, suchas placing notes on scheduling and/or shipping manifests informingcommon carrier personnel that such notifications should be sent whenthese certain events occur during shipping. One of ordinary skill in theart can envision several types of mechanisms the notification systems107 may employ to implement the notification requests in light of thisdisclosure.

In addition, in Step 903, the data processing application 900 may routethe image of the PSM form to one or more image systems within the commoncarrier's systems 105 for further data capture according to variousembodiments. Thus, in addition to or instead of information beingcaptured from the image on the individual's wireless computing device101, the image systems may capture further information from the PSMform. For instance, in particular embodiments, the image systems may beemployed to capture additional information from the PSM form because thePSM application residing on the individual's wireless computing device101 is configured to only capture the information initially needed toprocess the package so that the processing capacity on the device 101 isnot over utilized while performing the information capture process. Inaddition, in particular embodiments, the data processing application 900may route the image of the PSM form to one or more individuals (e.g.,employees of the common carrier) so that the individuals may review theimage to ensure the information has been properly captured from theimage and/or to enter additional information from the image. Further inparticular embodiments, the data processing application 900 may sendinformation extracted or captured from the image back to the PSMapplication on the individual's wireless computing device 101.

In addition, in Step 904, the data processing application 900 may routeinformation for the package to one or more security systems 108 withinthe common carrier. For instance, in particular embodiments, the commoncarrier may include one or more fraud prevention/detection and securityevaluation systems 108. Thus, these systems 108 are configured todetermine whether the data received for the package indicates thepackage may be associated with a potentially fraudulent transaction. Inaddition, these systems 108 are configured to determine whether anysecurity issues may be associated with shipping the package. Forexample, the systems 108 may compare the information captured from thePSM form with the registration information for the individual todetermine whether any inconsistent information may have been entered onthe PSM form indicating the package may not have been actually sent bythe individual. For example, this may entail the systems 108 checkingthe individual's address and personal information entered on the formwith the address and personal information provided by the individual andstored during registration.

In addition, this may entail the systems 108 checking the individual'sunique identifier passed along with the information sent from theindividual's wireless computing device 101 with the individual's uniqueidentifier stored along with the individual's registration information.For instance, in one embodiment, the individual is provided with aunique identifier during registration and the individual provides theidentifier during the installation process of the PSM application on theindividual's device 101. In turn, the unique identifier is stored on theindividual's device 101 and sent along with any transmissions sent fromthe device 101 to the common carrier's systems 105. As a result, theunique identifier may be checked by the common carrier's systems 105(e.g., the one or more fraud prevention/detection and securityevaluation systems 108) to ensure the transmission was actually sent bythe individual's device 101.

Further, the fraud prevention/detection and security evaluation systems108 may check to ensure there is not any security issues associated withshipping the package. These checks may involve reviewing the contents ofthe package to ensure they are not prohibited from being shipped by theindividual through the common carrier (e.g., firearms and/orprescription drugs) and reviewing the parties (e.g., the individualand/or recipient) to ensure they are not prohibited from shippingpackages with the common carrier.

Finally, in Step 905, the data processing application 900 may routeinformation for the package to various carrier systems 105 that may makeuse of such information so that the package may be properly processedand shipped with the common carrier according to various embodiments.For instance, the application 900 may route portions of the informationto the common carrier's tracking systems 106 so that the trackingsystems 106 may make use of the information during shipping, such as therecipient's address and any special instructions associated with thepackage such as the contents of the package being temperature sensitive.

At this point, the common carrier may take possession of the packagefrom the individual for shipping. Thus, the common carrier receives thepackage and returns to the carrier's local operating facility or“origin” center. In particular embodiments, this facility may be aprocessing center in which packages are processed and sorted so thatthey may be placed in the correct distribution channels within thecommon carrier's network. Thus, the package is received at the “origin”center and the bar code on the PSM form attached to the package isscanned. As a result of scanning the bar code, certain data (e.g.,information) may be read into the common carrier's systems 105 from thePSM form as well as certain data may be generated within the commoncarrier's systems 105 (such as a record indicating the package has beenreceived at the “origin” center).

In particular embodiments, the scanned data may be routed to the dataprocessing application 900. Accordingly, FIG. 10 illustrates a flowdiagram of the functionality of the data processing application 900 forprocessing the scanned data according to various embodiments. Thus, inthese particular embodiments, the data processing application 900receives the scanned data, shown as Step 1001. In Step 1002, the dataprocessing application 900 matches the data received from the scan oncethe package arrives at the “origin” center with the information sentfrom the individual's wireless computing device 101. Thus, the dataprocessing application 900 may make use of one or more pieces ofinformation from the scanned data to match with the information receivedfrom the device 101 and captured from the image of the PSM form. Forexample, the data process application 900 may match the scanned data andstored information via the carrier's tracking number and/or packageidentifier associated with the package.

In addition, in Step 1003, the data processing application 900 maydetermine whether a match was found and whether all of the neededinformation from the PSM form has been captured in various embodiments.If all of the needed information has not been captured, the dataprocessing application 900 may route/divert the associated PSM imageand/or package with an affixed PSM form/label to one or more areasand/or systems 105 within the common carrier so that the required datamay be captured from the image and/or form/label. Similar to processingthe transmission received from the individual's wireless computingdevice 101, the systems 105 may capture the required data automaticallyand/or by having the data entered by one or more individuals. Inaddition, in Step 1004, the data processing application 900 may alsoroute the captured data to one or more security systems 108 within thecommon carrier, shown as Step 1005. Again, similar to processing thetransmission received from the individual's wireless computing device101, this particular step in the processing may involve routing the datato one or more fraud prevention/detection and security evaluationsystems 108. Finally, in Step 1006, the data processing application mayprovide information from the captured data (and information capturedfrom the scanned data) to various carrier systems 105 that may make useof such information so that the package may be properly processed andshipped with the common carrier according to various embodiments.

V. Benefits

Thus, the entire process for shipping a package using various aspects ofthis invention according to different embodiments may provideconvenience for individuals (e.g., customers) who prepare and shippackages with common carriers with automated capture of tracking numbersfor the packages. In addition, such embodiments may provide automatedcapture of shipment details, including ship-from and ship-to addresses,selected accessorials, billing methods, and notification requests andprovide a mechanism for individuals to conveniently labelpackages/shipments with the individual's own reference data. Further,such embodiments may store tracking numbers and related data for variouspackages shipped with the common carrier to a local data store, fromwhich applications can obtain, current status information for aparticular package/shipment, obtain electronic data regarding shipmentdetails such as ship-to address, ship date, scheduled delivery date,weight, service level, and accessorials, and transmit information forparticular packages/shipments to other applications, such asapplications that document or manage the individuals' activities and/orexpenses.

In addition, various embodiments of the invention may also provide anearlier opportunity for common carriers to capture shipment data forpackages, by capturing a digital image of the shipping form for aparticular package (e.g., the PSM form) and transmitting the image tothe carrier's systems 105. In particular embodiments, such transmissionsmay often facilitate capture of data on the packages hours earlier thanin current processes typically found in the industry which do not begindata capture until after the carrier has picked up packages and hasreturned to a local operating center.

V. Conclusion

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which theseembodiments of the invention pertain having the benefit of the teachingspresented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings.Therefore, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the inventionare not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and thatmodifications and other embodiments are intended to be included withinthe scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employedherein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and notfor purposes of limitation.

That which is claimed:
 1. A system comprising a wireless computingdevice configured to: (a) verify whether a captured image of a shippingform useable with a package is suitable for analysis and transmission;(b) determine whether an extracted tracking number from the image is avalid tracking number for shipping the package, the tracking number isutilized for subsequent tracking of the package during subsequentshipment of the package by a common carrier; (c) provide a detectedlocation of the wireless computing device of a user to a communicationdevice of the common carrier; and (d) transmit the image and thetracking number, in response to determining that the tracking number isvalid, to the communication device of the common carrier prior to thecommon carrier taking possession of the package and indicating a pickupof the package is requested, at a collection point location, of thecommon carrier, in which the user drops off the package for pickup, thecollection point determined based in part on the detected location, toenable one or more systems of the common carrier to process informationextracted from the image and the tracking number to facilitate shippingthe package with the common carrier.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereinthe wireless computing device is further configured to: receive one ormore notification requests from a user of the wireless computing device,each notification request comprising a request to send a statusnotification to one or more individuals when a particular event occurswith respect to the package during shipping with the common carrier; andtransmit the one or more notification requests to the common carrier sothat the one or more systems of the common carrier can perform sending astatus notification in response to each notification request after theparticular event associated with the notification request is shown tohave occurred in carrier information obtained by the common carrierduring shipping of the package.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein theverification of the image involves the wireless computing deviceperforming one or more of: (1) determining the entire shipping form hasbeen captured in the image; (2) determining the quality of the image isacceptable; and (3) verifying completeness of information provided onthe shipping form.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein as a result of thetransmission of the image and the tracking number, the one or moresystems of the common carrier can also perform (1) extractinginformation from the image and (2) linking one or more of the image, thetracking number, or the extracted information to carrier informationobtained by the common carrier during shipping of the package.
 5. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the wireless computing device is furtherconfigured to: receive a unique shipping reference for the packageentered by the user of the wireless computing device; and transmit theunique shipping reference to the common carrier so that the commoncarrier can use the unique shipping reference as a mechanism forindividuals to identify the package for the common carrier.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the wireless computing device comprisesmemory and is further configured to store the image, the trackingnumber, and extracted information from the image on the wirelesscomputing device so that at least one of the image, the tracking number,or the extracted information can be retrieved from the memory anddisplayed on the wireless computing device.
 7. The system of claim 6,wherein the wireless computing device is further configured to: storethe location of the wireless computing device in the memory along withthe image and the tracking number.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein thewireless computing device is further configured to: receive carrierinformation from the common carrier, the carrier information comprisingcurrent tracking information on one or more particular events that haveoccurred during shipping of the package; and display the carrierinformation on the wireless computing device for viewing.
 9. The systemof claim 8, wherein the carrier information further comprises a feecharged by the common carrier for shipping the package.
 10. The systemof claim 8, wherein the wireless computing device comprises memory andis further configured to: store the carrier information in the memory sothat the carrier information can be retrieved from the memory anddisplayed on the wireless computing device.
 11. The system of claim 8,wherein the wireless computing device is further configured to: retrieveinformation on the package comprising one or more of the image, thetracking number, or the carrier information; and transfer the retrievedinformation to one or more files or another application residing on thewireless computing device.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein thewireless computing device is further configured to: extract informationfrom the image; and display the extracted information on the wirelesscomputing device for viewing.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein thetransmission to the common carrier also comprises an identifier for anindividual shipping the package so that the common carrier can identify:(1) the individual from the identifier and (2) an account the individualhas with the common carrier.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein thecommon carrier can charge a fee to the account for the individual forshipping the package.
 15. The system of claim 1, wherein the wirelesscomputing device is further configured to: extract the tracking numberby extracting the tracking number from a bar code or one or moretracking number characters from the image.
 16. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium comprising executable code, that when executedby at least one processor of a wireless computing device causes thewireless computing device to: (a) verify whether a captured image of ashipping form usable with a package is suitable for analysis andtransmission; (b) determine whether an extracted tracking number fromthe image is a valid tracking number for shipping the package, thetracking number is utilized for subsequent tracking of the packageduring subsequent shipment of the package by a common carrier; (c)provide a detected location of the wireless computing device of a userto a communication device of the common carrier; and (d) transmit theimage and the tracking number, in response to determining that thetracking number is valid, to the communication device of the commoncarrier prior to the common carrier taking possession of the package andindicating a pickup of the package is requested, at a collection pointlocation, of the common carrier, in which the user drops off the packagefor pickup, the collection point determined based in part on thedetected location, to enable one or more systems of the common carrierto process information extracted from the image and the tracking numberto facilitate shipping the package with the common carrier.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein when theexecutable code is executed by the at least one processor of thewireless computing device causes the wireless computing device to:receive one or more notification requests from a user of the wirelesscomputing device, each notification request comprising a request to senda status notification to one or more individuals when a particular eventoccurs with respect to the package during shipping with the commoncarrier; and transmit the one or more notification requests to thecommon carrier so that the one or more systems of the common carrier canperform sending a status notification in response to each notificationrequest after the particular event associated with the notificationrequest is shown to have occurred in carrier information obtained by thecommon carrier during shipping of the package.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the verification of theimage involves: (1) determining the entire shipping form has beencaptured in the image; (2) determining the quality of the image isacceptable; and (3) verifying completeness of information provided onthe shipping form.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 16, wherein as a result of the transmission of the image and thetracking number, the one or more systems of the common carrier can alsoperform (1) extracting information from the image and (2) linking one ormore of the image, the tracking number, or the extracted information tocarrier information obtained by the common carrier during shipping ofthe package.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim16, wherein when the executable code is executed by the at least oneprocessor of the wireless computing device causes the wireless computingdevice to: receive a unique shipping reference for the package enteredby the user of the wireless computing device; and transmit the uniqueshipping reference to the common carrier so that the common carrier canuse the unique shipping reference as a mechanism for individuals toidentify the package for the common carrier.
 21. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein when the executable codeis executed by the at least one processor of the wireless computingdevice causes the wireless computing device to: store the image, thetracking number, and information extracted from the image in memoryresiding in the wireless computing device so that at least one of theimage, the tracking number, or the information extracted from the imagecan be retrieved from the memory and displayed on the wireless computingdevice.
 22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21,wherein when the executable code is executed by the at least oneprocessor of the wireless computing device causes the wireless computingdevice to: capture the location of the device and store the location inthe memory along with the image and the tracking number.
 23. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein when theexecutable code is executed by the at least one processor of thewireless computing device causes the wireless computing device to:receive carrier information from the common carrier, the carrierinformation comprising current tracking information on one or moreparticular events that have occurred during shipping of the package; anddisplay the carrier information on the wireless computing device forviewing.
 24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23,wherein the carrier information further comprises a fee charged by thecommon carrier for shipping the package.
 25. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein when the executable codeis executed by the at least one processor of the wireless computingdevice causes the wireless computing device to: store the carrierinformation in memory residing in the wireless computing device so thatthe carrier information can be retrieved from the memory and displayedon the wireless computing device.
 26. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein when the executable codeis executed by the at least one processor of the wireless computingdevice causes the wireless computing device to: retrieve information onthe package comprising one or more of the image, the tracking number, orthe carrier information; and transfer the retrieved information to oneor more files or another application residing on the wireless computingdevice.
 27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16,wherein when the executable code is executed by the at least oneprocessor of the wireless computing device causes the wireless computingdevice to: extract information from the image; and display the extractedinformation on the wireless computing device for viewing.
 28. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein thetransmission to the common carrier also comprises an identifier for anindividual shipping the package so that the common carrier can identify:(1) the individual from the identifier and (2) an account the individualhas with the common carrier.
 29. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 28, wherein the common carrier can charge a fee to theaccount for the individual for shipping the package.
 30. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein when theexecutable code is executed by the at least one processor of thewireless computing device causes the wireless computing device to:extract the tracking number by extracting the tracking number from a barcode or one or more tracking number characters from the image.
 31. Amethod comprising: providing executable code installed on a wirelesscomputing device, wherein when the executable code is executed by atleast one processor of the wireless computing device causes the wirelesscomputing device to: (a) verify whether a captured image of a shippingform useable with a package is suitable for analysis and transmission;(b) determine whether an extracted tracking number from the image is avalid tracking number for shipping the package, the tracking number isutilized for subsequent tracking of the package during subsequentshipment of the package by a common carrier; (c) provide a detectedlocation of the wireless computing device to a communication device ofthe common carrier; and (d) transmit the image and the tracking number,in response to determining that the tracking number is valid, to thecommunication device of the common carrier prior to the common carriertaking possession of the package and indicating a pickup of the packageis requested, at a collection point location, of the common carrier, inwhich the user drops off the package for pickup, the collection pointdetermined based in part on the detected location to enable one or moresystems of the common carrier to process information extracted from theimage and the tracking number to facilitate shipping the package withthe common carrier.
 32. The method of claim 31, wherein when theexecutable code is executed by the at least one processor of thewireless computing device causes the wireless computing device to:receive one or more notification requests from a user of the wirelesscomputing device, each notification request comprising a request to senda status notification to one or more individuals when a particular eventoccurs with respect to the package during shipping with the commoncarrier; and transmit the one or more notification requests to thecommon carrier so that the one or more systems of the common carrier canperform sending a status notification in response to each notificationrequest after the particular event associated with the notificationrequest is shown to have occurred in carrier information obtained by thecommon carrier during shipping of the package.
 33. The method of claim31, wherein when the executable code is executed by the at least oneprocessor of the wireless computing device causes the wireless computingdevice to: extract the tracking number by extracting the tracking numberfrom a bar code or one or more tracking number characters from theimage.